In the fall of 1907, under the direction of Jacob R. Cornog, ten students at Colgate University gathered together and formed the Owl Club. In 1909, the Owl Club reorganized as Sigma Alpha Fraternity, which later became the New York Zeta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta.

The above pictured men were the original members of the Owl Club and the founders of Sigma Alpha. Rear: J. William Douglass, George Smith and William O’Brien. Middle: Herbert Franklin, Daniel Lynch, Albert Davis and J.R. Cornog. Front: Albert J. Salathe and Edward H. Clayton. Absent: H.F. Keyser. .